Revised CAS Standards for Transfer Student Programs and Services
- NISTS Team
- Dec 2, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 17, 2025
October 2025
Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS)
The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) has released a completely revised version of the Transfer Student Programs and Services Standards. Developed collaboratively by CAS, the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS), the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), and a national committee of transfer practitioners, this comprehensive update reflects the current state of transfer research, policy, and practice.
What's New in the 2025 Revision
This revision fundamentally reimagines transfer support. Grounded in current research about the obstacles transfer students face, the standards provide guidance on supporting the full range of transfer student experiences (from initial exploration through goal completion), rather than a point-in-time transition moment.
Key Features
Intentional Flexibility: The standards adapt to your institutional context and organizational structure. Whether you're a two-year college or flagship university, and whether you have a dedicated transfer center or distributed responsibilities across multiple offices, the framework scales to meet you where you are while guiding you toward aspirational practice.
Shared Responsibility Model: Effective transfer support requires collaboration across campus. The standards recognize this reality and provide a common framework for partnership, with particular emphasis on the critical roles of faculty and academic advisors alongside traditional student affairs and enrollment management professionals.
Advocacy and Professional Development: Beyond programmatic guidance, these standards equip transfer professionals with research-backed language to advocate for resources, influence institutional policy, and establish professional credibility. They validate the specialized expertise required for transfer work and articulate its full scope.
Understanding and Applying the Transfer Standards
The standards consist of two complementary components that provide foundational principles for understanding core elements of effective transfer work:
Contextual Statement: Provides historical background, current trends, and research context that grounds the standards in the realities of transfer work today. This document helps practitioners understand the "why" behind the standards and offers a shared foundation for conversations across campus.
Standards and Guidelines Document: Organized into a comprehensive 12-part framework, the standards include both "must" statements (essential practices) and "should" statements (recommended enhancements). Each part addresses a different dimension of effective transfer programs and services.
A Flexible Framework, Not a Prescriptive Checklist
Rather than offering prescriptive guidance for every specific transfer situation—such as international transfer admissions, articulation agreements, or even dual enrollment—the standards establish broad guidelines for programmatic design, policy development, and collaborative practice that can be adapted to fit your institutional context and the specific populations you serve.
The standards support a variety of concrete applications in your daily and strategic work:
Design or evaluate programs: Whether you're building new transfer services from the ground up or assessing existing ones, the standards provide evidence-based principles for program development, resource allocation, and strategic planning. Use them to establish priorities, justify decisions, and align your work with professional best practices.
Conduct a self-assessment: Evaluate how well your current programs and services align with the standards. This reflective process helps identify strengths to celebrate, gaps to address, and opportunities for improvement, whether you're conducting an informal audit or a formal program review.
Build shared understanding: Use the standards as a common language to educate colleagues, train new staff, and foster collaboration across departments. The framework helps campus partners understand what comprehensive transfer support looks like and why certain practices matter for student success.
Resources and Next Steps
Access the Standards: Purchase the CAS Transfer Student Programs and Services Standards and companion Self-Assessment Guide (SAG) through the CAS Store.
Learn More About CAS: Explore the full range of CAS resources, including standards for 50+ functional areas and cross-functional frameworks.
Watch the Rollout Webinar: View the recorded presentation introducing the revised standards, featuring representatives from NISTS, AACRAO, and CAS.
Questions or Support
For questions about the CAS Transfer Student Programs and Services Standards, please contact CAS directly.
Acknowledgments
This revision was made possible by the expertise and dedication of a national committee of transfer practitioners who contributed countless hours to ensure these standards reflect the realities of transfer work across diverse institutional contexts. We extend our deepest gratitude to:
Kristin Brooks, Complete College America
Erin Bird, Oregon State University
Hala Abou Arraj, Idaho State University
Jeffrey Mayo, University of Texas at Austin
Holly Herrera, Columbia College Chicago
Devin Andrews, University of Phoenix
Melissa Swafford, Cuyahoga Community College
Megan McConnell, Central Washington University
Morgan Donovan-Hall, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Daniel Wright, University of Cincinnati
Christopher Robinson, University of Arkansas
Cedric Howard, Seattle Colleges District
Urana Pridemore, University of Michigan-Dearborn
Rita Snyder Furr, George Mason University